but Samus' previously mentioned portrayal as weak and unstable is from the 2010 game, Metroid Other M.

It's worth mentioning simply so your know to ignore it

in the grand scheme of this stoic bounty hunter's true character.

With that in mind.

Let's continue Samus' story knowing full-well she's cooler than a passive barbie doll.

The Metroid timeline is a little confusing.

The series real world release dates aren't the same order as in Samus' universe.

But throughout each iteration, we're given more insight into Samus' life

while taking the driver's seat to intergalactic bounty hunting.

After the original Metroid for the NES, came Metroid 2: Return of Samus.

It was a 1991, black and white, side-scrolling shooter packed into the portability of the Game Boy.

It introduces the iconic "save station" while it tells the story of Samus' mission on SR388.

The Metroid species' home planet.

Her mission is to eliminate metroids from the universe forever...

by killing every...

last...

one.

But somewhere along the way, she develops a special bond

with one of the deadly jellyfish she was sent to destroy.

How?!

I ain't givin' no spoilers!

Let's move on to 1994's Super Metroid for the SNES

It boasted a 24...MEGABIT contridge!

Wow!

The largest cartridge ever as of its release date.

In the game, Samus recalls being imprinted upon by the newly hatched metroid

from SR388...and the special bond she had with the tiny jellyfish.

Woah!

But when the little tyke is captured by space pirates, Samus must return to the planet Zebes to save it.

I'm not going to tell you how or if she succeeds

but what you should know, is that she has a powerful, comradic connection

with the larval jellyfish she set out to save.

Snap!

Indeed Samus is no passive coward, but

under her cold, Chozo armor

she hides a genuine, motherly admiration for the life-sucking creatures the Galactic Federation seeks to destroy.

Are metroids just thoughtless weapons to be exploited by the space pirates legions?

Or are they something more complex?

It seems Samus is closer to the answer than any other being in the galaxy.

WUUUAAAAAAAG!!!!

Next we have the release of Metroid Prime. Placed curiously after the events of Metroid.

This beautiful game was released in 2002 for the Game Cube

and was the first in the series to feature a 3D graphics engine.

With the famous lock-on-and-strafe gameplay

that would propel it into the wet dreams of gamers and critics everywhere.

Although Samus' unique relationship with metroids is hardly touched in the entire Prime timeline...

We constantly see here making connections

with alien races, that none other ever has.

In Metroid Prime, she once again befriends the Chozo

while fighting off their terrifying phazon corrupted spirit entities.

Please don't play this alone, upstairs at night at the age of ten.

Please.

Really don't.

If only...

Zak Bagans were here.

Moving on.

In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Samus does some cleaning up

on the planet Aether for the Luminoth.

A race almost completely exterminated by a dark force

brought...by meteor.

*Screams of terror*

She also encounters Dark Samus.

But we'll get to that later.

On her journey through inter-dimensional portals and hellish dark Aether nether regions,

she learns the deepest secrets of the nearly-extinct Luminoth race.

Conversing with one of their wise-as-fuck survivors

on a quest to restore light to the darkness.

*whispers* symbolism

Next in the timeline is Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

and since I'm trying to get through this without any spoilers,

the antagonist known as Dark Samus may seem to come out of nowhere.

But, all you need to know, is Dark Samus was once a powerful metroid.

Until it absorbed Samus' phazon suit.

Thereby taking on her likeness in an evil form which Samus must defeat.

*whispers* symbolism